1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for providing automated estimation of the intrinsic properties of materials subjected to Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy and imaging. In particular, the invention concerns an improved system for rapidly determining the spin lattice relaxation time T1 and the spin-spin relaxation time T2, each of which are directly related to the specific properties of a tissue which is being studied.
2. Discussion of the Background
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has recently become extremely popular for the reproduction of images of the interior portions of the human body for diagnostic purposes. Although the examination of the interior body or a body portion having a variety of relatively soft tissues is the primary use for NMR techniques, they can also be utilized for circumstances whereby characteristics of tissues under inspection can be portrayed which are ordinarly not readily obtained using a radiography or other imaging techniques.
The fundamental description of basic NMR physics and imaging techiques is found in Kaufmann et al., Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Medicine, IGAKU-SHOIN Medical Publishers, Inc., New York and Tokyo (1981). The important features of the NMR technique which are commonly used in previous methods will now be elaborated upon.
The body under examination is subjected to one magnetic field which is usually constant in magnitude and another field which lies along at least one different vector from the first magnetic field. The second magnetic field is usually time-varying with the exact characteristic of each of these fields being a function of choice between any one of several available imaging techniques. During NMR examinations, the characteristics of the field energy must be preselected. selected. As an example, one of the techniques called spin-echo imaging, utilizes a pre-selected repetition time T.sub.R, which is defined as the time between successive application of the same pulse sequence. Also pre-selected is the sampling delay time t (TAU) which is often set equal to TE/2 where TE is the time at which a spin-echo is measured. The first and second fields are applied to the tissue being examined in accordance with selected times and the results are detected and stored with the levels of the storage signals being correlated with their physical positions and with these levels being represented by a matrix of numbers. The numbers of the matrix are then displayed as a matrix of points of pixels which have different light or dark levels and the composite of these pixels forms an image having various contrasting areas.
A physician utilizes the results of these contrasting areas within the image to observe and analyze a "slice" of the body of which the image was made from and, in a medical context, to thereby form a diagnosis. The degree of contrast between the various areas is a function of T.sub.R and t values which are selected before the measurement is made. The degree of contrast is also a function of the intrinsic properties of the materials including the net magnetization M.sub.O (which is proportional to Proton density), and the relaxation times T1 and T2. While one particular set of values for T.sub.R and t will produce an image with excellent contrast between certain sets of materials, it must be noted that this contrast will probably be insufficient between other types of materials being used. As a result of this varying contrast which depends upon the materials being used, it is necessary to make numerous sets of measurements with various values for T.sub.R and t . The images which result from these measurements use these different values of T.sub.R and t in order to adequately examine various tissues involved.
This time consuming process in which the patient is often subjected to discomfort and sometimes repeatedly subjected to the effects of strong directional magnetic fields has been alleviated in accordance with the method and apparatus disclosed in copending Application Ser. No. 727,674 filed Apr. 26, 1985, of which the present inventor is a coinventor. Utilizing the method and the apparatus of the copending application an apparatus is disclosed which is capable of obtaining intrinsic parameters of the body materials under examination and forming synthetic images based on those intrinsic parameters in order to permit the synthesis of images formed on the basis of other selectable parameters. The technique of the copending application provides a method in which a minimal number of measurements can be made and in which the data derived from these measurements is used to form synthetic images which include tissue contrast of a type which would have been produced by measurements made with selected parameters such as T.sub.R and t values other than those which are actually used for the measurements.
Even with respect to the improved overall apparatus and method for obtaining intrinsic parameters of the above identified copending application, there still exists a problem with respect to the actual determination of the intrinsic parameters from physically measured values. These intrinsic parameters, and more specifically the relaxation time T1, are generally found by acquiring NMR signals for several different repetition times T.sub.R and plotting them as a function of time. The value of the spin lattice relaxation time T1 is substantially a measure of the curvature of the smooth curve which most closely matches the measured signals. Because of the statistical uncertainty in the measured signals, there is uncertainty in the computed value of T1. Generally, this can only be compensated for by taking measurements several times at the repetition times initially used or by taking measurements at additional repetition times. In both cases the total scanning time can be increased.
Additional background information and disclosure of devices and techniques in the field to which this invention relates can be found in the following articles and U.S. patents.
F. W. Wehrli, J. R. McFall, and G. H. Glover. The dependence of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) image contrast on intrinsic and operator-selectable parameters presented at the meeting of the SPIE, Medicine XII, volume 419, April 1983.
I. R. Young, et al. Contrast in NMR Imaging. Presented at the Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, August 1983.
D. Ortendahi, et al. Calculated NMR images. Presented at the Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, August 1983.
P. L. Davis, et al. Optimal spin-echo images for liver lesions by retrospective calculations. Presented at the Society of Magnetic Residence in Medicine, August 1983.
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